Verdi means green - Clippings - Giuseppe Verdi's love of environment - Brief Article

American Forests, Wntr, 2002

Turns out the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi was also something of a tree hugger. The genius who composed 28 operas including Aida, Rigoletto, and La Traviata maintained a woodsy retreat near Busseto that boasted more than 100 kinds of trees, according to the November issue of Smithsonian magazine. In addition to the trees, the retreat, similar to a botanical garden, also housed a pond, gazebo, and grotto.

According to Smithsonian magazine, Verdi enjoyed working with his tenant farmers to plant and harvest crops. He viewed the grounds surrounding Villa Verdi as a composition and planted a tree there each time he finished an opera.